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ANNUAL BREEDING STATISTICS 2018-19 - PART I

By Major Srinivas Nargolkar (Retd.) | 11 Nov 2019 |


At the end of the first quarter in 2018-19, Usha/Mehra topped the table with a slender lead over the Poonawalla Group. By the half-way stage, Poonawalla Group, had wrested the lead as Usha/Mehra fell to the third spot, Nanoli also moving upwards by a place. In the last two quarters, Poonawalla Group kept up the tempo and were sighted as winners "a long way from home". The runner-up position was much more hotly contested and it was the result of the year's last black-type race that decided the issue. Bronx, an Usha/Mehra-bred, slammed the field in Aquaguard Championship R.W.I.T.C., Ltd. Gold Cup, Gr.2 to force a photo finish. If Watchmyscript had finished second instead of third, Nanoli would have short-headed Usha/Mehra rather than the other way around. Nanoli was in the top five in each of the four quarters and Hazara in the last three. Kunigal was not sighted in top five when mid-term stats were toted up a strong second half -- with War Hammer, Impavid and Consigliori to the fore -- enabled it to finish with a flourish.

The victory of the Poonawalla Group was emphatic. Star Superior, Missing You and Well Connected won three of the richest races in India and with valuable contributions from the supporting cast. Not just the points but Poonawalla Group grossed the highest stakes, had most number of winners and wins. Of course, they had most number of runners. However, as they also had the best AE Index it is clear that numbers played only a small part. The full statistics, as compiled by Stud Book Authority of India, are given below.

CHAMPION STUD FARM, 2018-19

(Decided by a points-based formula approved by Turf Authorities of India)

Rank Stud Rank Last 
Five Years
Starters  Black-Type
Points
Ordinary
Race Points 
Total  Points Stakes Won AE Index
1 Poonawalla Group 1-3-5-5-4 294 666 232 898 Rs. 18,59,47,243 1.60
2 Usha/Mehra 2-2-2-3-1 179 421 143 564 Rs. 10,31,86.909 1.46
3 Nanoli  3-1-3-8-8 247 365 197 562 Rs. 11,18,82,567 1.14
4 Kunigal  5-4-1-4-3 201 349 121 470 Rs. 9,72,38,879 1.22
5 Hazara 7-6-6-1-2 276 175 197 372 Rs. 11,11,90,075 1.02

Five stud farms have been crowned as Champion Stud during the decade and all five them occupy the top five places in the table. That is indicative of consistency in the breeding landscape of the country. Of course, the Poonawalla Group have  been Champions five times and it underlines their dominance. Back-to-back Championships suggest that they have got over the problems that saw them slip out of the radar in the middle years of the decade. They, no doubt, will be the front runners to extend their reign next year. A point to note, though, is that their "team" composition is likely to be different in 2019-20. This year, 146 Arazans, 101 Excellent Arts and 19 Leitir Mors formed the bulk of their "team". Excellent Art has another small crop -- 15 foals only -- coming into racing while Leitir Mor will have a larger one of nearly 50. Arazan has just 26 2YOs to start racing as against 76 that he had this year. Hence, it would appear that Leitir Mor will have a crucial role to play. 

Usha/Mehra have been a model consistency but their number of starters are steadily dropping. At this time last year, it looked as if Roberta -- more on pedigree than performance -- would be their lone Classic contender. By the end of January, six Usha/Mehra-breds -- including Roberta -- had won Classics. It has been noticeable, since the very early days of Razeen, that the Pataudi contingent reaches its peak around the time the Derbys come around. That trend has continued in Multidimensional's time and so although the nursery did not have a three year-old Classic winner this year, there is cause for optimism. What really let Usha/Mehra down was that by and large those six Classic winners failed to contribute much in the latter half of the year. The jury is still out on its new stallion Speaking of Which. The word of mouth is that they need distance -- not really presaged by his pedigree -- but those of his runners who essayed a 2000 m. trip have not won. A major concern is that Multidimensional's 2017 crop which starts racing now is the stallion's smallest ever.

Given the insular nature of breeding in India, it is axiomatic that if a stud farm is doing well, its stallions are also in the limelight. That being so, it is a bit strange that the stallions mostly used by Nanoli Stud -- Kingda Ka, Whatsthescript and Western Aristocrat -- are to be found in lower rungs while the stud farm occupies the third place. There is a ready made explanation for that. Nanoli does not have too large a band of broodmares and its numbers have been more or less equally divided between the three stallions all of whom have an AE Index that is higher than 1.00. A major portion of Nanoli's produce is raced by Mr. K.N. Dhunjibhoy and that certainly helps. Serjeant At Arms, now sadly no more, was undoubtedly the best of the Nanoli horses and he was sired by Ikhtyar.  Incidentally, it is reliably learnt that Whatsthescript and Western Aristocrat have moved to Kunigal Stud. It will be a while before the impact of that move is felt.

Just as the racing operation of Mr. K.N. Dhunjibhoy is crucial to the fortunes of Nanoli, Kunigal's stock is dependent on how the U.R.B.B. racing division is doing. That racing operation has been significantly curtailed but Classic winners like Cosmic Ray and Consigliori certainly help to keep up the level. Just when he was on the verge of being discounted as "another stallion", Air Support bestirred himself and his three Classic winners helped Kunigal to seal its place in the top five.

Hazara Stud's best years have been when its 'got-abroads' have been high-flyers. Though it finished in the top five, it is noticeable that its ordinary race points are higher than its black-type points. Of the stud farms occupying the top five places, only Hazara can look forward to a fresh input in the coming year. That will be in the shape of its new stallion David Livingston, a son of Galileo. David Livingston got into action only midway through the season and has a modest sized crop of only 26 foals. Hazara has two very good winner producers in Net Whizz and Saamidd and what it needs is a stallion whose progeny can make a mark at higher levels. 

Sohna, Manjri and Dashmesh/Hargobind continue their game of musical chairs; Sans Craintes made it to the top ten for the third year running while Chettinad/Sholavaram has dropped right out through the trap door. Racing is a funny game. While the elite have an undoubted advantage, lesser lights do have an opportunity to bask in the glory. There were first ever Classic wins for Akal Sahai, Badal and Bishan Studs. That would have led to much rejoicing in the Land of Five Rivers!

PAST THE POST

We have come to the end of this decade. The following details of the Top Three stud farms provide a succinct overview. The figures in brackets are the points in accordance with the TAI formula:--

2009-10   1. POONAWALLA  (917)  2. Chettinad/Sholavaram (681)  3. Usha/Mehra (635)

2010-11    1. POONAWALLA (967)  2. Usha/Mehra (957)  3. Chettinad/Sholavaram (595)

2011-12    1. POONAWALLA (1081)  2. Chettinad/Sholavaram  (651)  3. Usha/Mehra (599)

2012-13    1. HAZARA (785)  2. Chettinad/Sholavaram (776)  3. Usha/Mehra (686)

2013-14    1. USHA/MEHRA (895)  2. Hazara (650)  3. Kunigal (641)

2014-15    1. HAZARA (819)  2. Chettinad/Sholavaram (697)  3. Usha/Mehra (591)

2015-16     1. KUNIGAL (828)  2. Usha/Mehra (729)  3. Nanoli (539)

2016-17    1. NANOLI (833)  2. Usha/Mehra (794)  3. Poonawalla (660)

2017-18    1. POONAWALLA (715)  2. Usha/Mehra (619)  3. Nanoli (610)

2018-19    1. POONAWALLA (898) 2. Usha/Mehra  (564) 3. Nanoli (562)

Poonawalla Group were the Champions in exactly half the years and the only stud farm whose points tally breached the  four-figure mark. Against that, they were missing from the Top Three in four years. Usha/Mehra are the only nursery to have figured in the Top Three in each of the ten years.  Besides, they have had an AE Index in excess of 1.00 in every year this millennium -- the only stud farm with that credit. The highest stakes won in a year were by Chettinad/Sholavaram. The produce of their farms grossed Rs.20,0432,004 -- the only stud to have broken the Rs. 20 cr. barrier -- in 2013-14 but they missed out on a Top Three finish owing to a  low points tally. In 2012-13, Chettinad/Sholavaram-breds won 377 races which the highest for the decade. The all-time record of 453 wins in year also held by them and they achieved that in 2008-09.  Poonawalla Group had 200 individual winners in 2010-11 and 2011-12. That is an all-time record.